I don't think it's just the virus. Spock is different because his willing mate (or so he thought), T'Pring, is on Vulcan. If you remember In a Mirror Darkly, the flashbacks show that T'Pol and Tucker didn't go to Vulcan to cure her Pon Farr. I don't think it's any different from the prime universe. If they had made Pon Farr the catalyst for her to act on her feelings for Trip instead of Amanda Cole/trellium (which would have been a better writing choice), it wouldn't make any sense for them to go to Vulcan when she has a willing partner on the same freakin ship . As you know, a Vulcan has limited time to endure Pon Farr before they die. Why risk that if you're far from home? No wonder everything from Search for Spock onward ignores the salmon spawning line.As I recall, some space disease brought on T'Pol's pon farr unexpectedly, so by the time she got back to Vulcan she probably would have been dead.
Don't forget about Sybok (who does came out of left field but still). I don't picture Vulcan government people telling couples how many children they should have (sounds like something from The Giver). But a more important reason why love children are rare is the mating bond. When you form one with your spouse, it's impossible to be devoted to another. So I think adultery would be unheard of in Vulcan society.I think that there really aren't any love children on Vulcan. That Vulcan is such an ordered society that if the psychohistorians or whatever they are called say that each couple should produce x amount of children over y amount of years to keep the population at peak levels without overtaxing the environment then that is what the Vulcans would do. It's logical. If a Vulcan biologically needs to have sex at least once every seven years, that really doesn't mean it's the only time they can, just that they can't forgo it any longer.
Well of course they are much more long-lived than humans, which would produce a cumulative effect on population numbers. Being worshippers of logic, they may also choose to bear as many children as required to sustain the population level.Perhaps a biologist/geneticist can tell us how sentient humanoid beings who can only mate once every seven years, but yet create a planet of 6 billion people.
In Amok, didn't T'pring essentially admit that she was going to commit adultery with Stonn if Spock didn't free her?So I think adultery would be unheard of in Vulcan society.
In Amok, didn't T'pring essentially admit that she was going to commit adultery with Stonn if Spock didn't free her?
Here is the dialogue between T'pring and Spock after Spock had "killed" the captain:
SPOCK: Why the challenge, and why you chose my captain as your champion.
T'PRING: Stonn wanted me, I wanted him.
SPOCK: I see no logic in preferring Stonn over me.
T'PRING: You have become much known among our people, Spock. Almost a legend. And as the years went by, I came to know that I did not want to be the consort of a legend. But by the laws of our people, I could only divorce you by the kal-if-fee. There was also Stonn, who wanted very much to be my consort, and I wanted him. If your Captain were victor, he would not want me, and so I would have Stonn. If you were victor you would free me because I had dared to challenge, and again I would have Stonn. But if you did not free me, it would be the same. For you would be gone, and I would have your name and your property, and Stonn would still be there.
It sounded to me that T'pring was planning on committing adultery if Spock didn't free her.
Apparently, Vulcans can and did lust for other Vulcans who were not their spouse. I got the impression that adultery was a fact of life even among Vulcans. By the way, I don't know what ponn farr had to do with T'pring and Stonn having the hots for one another.
It might be a matter of interpetation, but if you are engaged to be married (betrothal) and have sex, or a romantic relationship, with another person, that's cheating., they were NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP
With so many errors being picked up by fans I am surprised that the show did not hire a team of trekkies to keep track of stuff. I have only just noticed this thread and are reading through it now.
Unless your name is T'Ping and Stonn - I bet those two were logically fornicating.I When you form one with your spouse, it's impossible to be devoted to another. So I think adultery would be unheard of in Vulcan society.
From her statement it sounds more like she would continue to have a relationship with Stonn, and not that she was going to start one.It sounded to me that T'pring was planning on committing adultery if Spock didn't free her
My thoughts are that only Vulcanian males are biologically driven to go through the seven year cycle. You’ll note the T’pring was not exhibiting any of the symptoms of the plak tow that Spock was.
T'Pol was visibly affected by pon farr in ENT, wasn't she?
Let's disregard ENT and just consider the concept as it was originally developed for "Amok Time."
Also, as has been discussed in various threads, there's nothing indicating that Pon Farr was the only time when Vulcans were capable of conceiving offspring.
Kor
Let's disregard ENT and just consider the concept as it was originally developed for "Amok Time."
By that standard, everyone from T'Pol to Prince Akeem is a cheater. Guess Akeem really was sowing his royal oats but not in the way his father thinks! And unlike T'Pol, he purposely traveled to find a replacement for his betrothed, which makes him the bigger cheater. Seriously though, that's a very old-fashioned view. In medieval Europe, the Catholic Church didn't even acknowledge the role of romantic love (or lack thereof for some unlucky couples) in marriage. I don't remember Romeo or Juliet being engaged to other people but if they were, the Church would have considered them adulterers even if they had no say in who they would marry.It might be a matter of interpetation, but if you are engaged to be married (betrothal) and have sex, or a romantic relationship, with another person, that's cheating.
Even outside of a betrothal, if you're in a dedicated relationsjip and have outside sex that's cheating. For most people anyway.
A better example is In a Mirror Darkly, where there's no virus mentioned. I just assumed that mirror T'Pol was experiencing a normal 7 year cycle.T'Pol was visibly affected by pon farr in ENT, wasn't she?
I'll also admit that the "inherent in all vulcans" line kind of flies in the face of my theory. However, you'll note that Spock says extreme feminine beauty is disturbing, so we must presume that the cycle referenced earlier by the "all Vulcans" statement is actually referring to males. Unless extreme feminine beauty can also disturb the cycle of females as well.
Additionally, the seven year cycle being biologically inherent in "all Vulcans" would still be true even if the females had a flexible cycle, because the females (especially in a monogamous culture) would be synced up to their mate's cycle.
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.